Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

News Release

Two Evansville Area Men Face Firearms Charges

Evansville, Ind. – Nicholas G. Hermann, Prosecuting Attorney 1st Judicial District, Eric Williams, Sheriff Vanderburgh County and Robert J. Browning, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (ATF) announced the Monday indictment of Farshad Ghiassi and Chad E. Gamblin for firearms violations and other criminal violations. The charges are the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office and ATF.

Ghiassi, 38, of Evansville is charged with conspiracy to commit use of false information to obtain a handgun, obstruction of justice, invasion of privacy and unlawful possession of a firearm by a domestic batterer. Gamblin, 31, of Mt. Vernon, Ind., is charged two counts of assisting a criminal and one count of obstruction of justice.

Between Feb. 1 and March 20, it is alleged that Ghiassi enlisted a female to purchase six handguns at Gander Mountain in Evansville falsely representing that she was the true purchaser when in fact she was purchasing the firearms for Ghiassi. The female agreed to purchase the firearms for Ghiassi knowing that he could not purchase the handguns himself due to his prior criminal convictions. Additionally, Ghiassi removed handguns from his residence to prevent investigators from obtaining the firearms as evidence. It is alleged that Ghiassi violated a Nov. 15, 2010 Court Order that prohibited him from possessing firearms. He is also charged with illegal possession of handguns knowing that he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a Dec. 5, 2000 domestic battery conviction.

Gamblin is charged with assisting a criminal, Ghiassi, between March 17 and March 23, by providing a firearm to a person who has committed a crime (to wit: using false information to obtain a handgun) and harboring, concealing and assisting Ghiassi. Gamblin is further charged with removing handguns from his residence between March 10 and March 23, with the intent to prevent investigators from using the firearms as evidence in an official proceeding.

ATF is working with state and local law enforcement to stop the illegal possession of firearms by criminals and the straw purchasing of firearms. The support received from Sheriff Williams' office and Prosecutor Hermann’s office was essential to this successful investigation, Browning said.

The Prosecutor’s Office applauds the efforts of ATF and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office. We look forward to their continued cooperation in helping to make Vanderburgh County safer, Hermann said.

Anyone with information on straw purchasing or persons that have been approached to buy firearms for someone that cannot buy the firearms themselves should call the local ATF office (812) 461-5000.

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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives United States Department of Justice